


A Song of Ice and Files

by poolsidescientist



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV), The X-Files
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, x-files au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-06
Updated: 2019-10-11
Packaged: 2020-06-22 04:59:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19660312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/poolsidescientist/pseuds/poolsidescientist
Summary: “All my life I’ve been looked down upon, as a doctor, as a federal agent, and as a woman. All my life I’ve been knocking men like into the dust.”There are no men like me, only me.”Basically a JaimexBrienne X-Files AU.





	1. Pilot

**Author's Note:**

> So I really wanted this to exist and probably should have left this to a better writer but then figured why not make it happen. I own neither series nor any of the characters of course. All and any advice is welcome so let me know what you think! If people like it I might expand this into a larger story. Thanks for reading!

Special agent Brienne Tarth took a deep breath as she exited the elevator of the Hoover building. Two years of teaching Pathology at Quantico and finally, she was getting her chance at field work. Several agents stared at her from their desks as she walked down the hall to the meeting room. She ignored them, reminding herself not to slouch as her step-mother Roelle had often reminded her growing up. Her step mother had also frequently reminded her that she was both huge and hideous, deeply unpleasant woman that she was. What her step mother never reminded her was that she was strong. Yes. Special agent Brienne Tarth was strong, smart, and capable. Capable of whatever her superiors would throw her way.

The meeting room consisted of a long table with her at one end and a collection of aging white men at the other. Section Chief Tarly stared at her with disgust while the rest of them milled around aimlessly. They did little to disguise their disinterest. It took all her strength to not look away and she hoped her cheeks hadn’t turned red. She tucked her hair behind her ear and waited for them to speak.

“Special agent Tarth,” Tarly spat out her name as though it were an olive pit.

“Morning.” Brienne smiled and nodded. She tried not to show her teeth.

“As you know, we’re here to talk about your reassignment to active field duty. Are you familiar with the so-called X-Files division?”

“Of course section chief, the X-Files division focuses on cases of an unknown or paranormal nature and is run by Special Agent Jaime Lannister. Lannister is an Oxford-trained psychologist and talented profiler, notable for his monograph on the smiling knight killer in 1989. Aside from his talents in the field, he is best known for shooting his superior in the VCU, director Aerys Targaryen. Most agents refer to him by his nickname, ‘Kingslayer’,” Brienne explained. As Tarly watched her, her eyes drifted to one of the other men in the room. The man was leaning over a filing cabinet while smoking. He looked ordinary aside from his mockingbird tie, but something about him rubbed her the wrong way. 

“Good. These unassigned cases are often...difficult to categorise and will benefit from your scientific rigor. Your official assignment is to work with your new partner, agent Lannister and assess the cases based on scientific evidence.”

“Sir, are you asking me to debunk the X-Files?” She raised an eyebrow, doing her best not to blush and look away.

“I’m asking you to ensure your investigations are grounded in facts agent Tarth, that is all. Best of luck with your new assignment, we are anticipating your reports.” Tarly closed the file. The men on the other end of the table got up and left, the man with the cigarette lingering longer than the rest. Brienne wanted to run but she was a federal agent and planned on acting like one. She walked back to the elevator of the Hoover building. This time she was going to the basement.

………………..

“No one here but the FBI’s most unwanted,” came the reply from the other side of the door. 

Brienne had knocked twice before opening the door to her new department. It was a pigsty. How Lannister could stand the mess was beyond her comprehension. Perhaps it came from having a military family, but there was something uncomfortable about the overstuffed filing cabinets and stack of old takeout containers, not to mention the pencils Lannister was currently throwing at the ceiling. The walls weren’t any better. Tabloid articles, maps, and fake-looking photographs of various mythical creatures were tacked on the wall as though they were wallpaper. This was the office of a paranoid man. 

“Special agent Brienne Tarth. Recruited straight out of medical school into the FBI. You studied physics as an undergraduate student, writing you honours thesis on Einstein’s twin paradox under the supervision of a Dr. Catelyn Stark. Graduated top of your class at Quantico and became a well-respected pathology teacher there since. You’re a catch. So tell me, agent Tarth, who did you piss of to get this detail?” Lannister grinned, and Brienne felt her cheeks turn red. No man had ever called her a catch before and it threw her off guard. There was a mischievous glint in his bright green eyes. He was toying with her. The only question was whether he was toying with her as a profiler trying to understand his new partner or was he toying with her the way handsome men enjoyed toying with women in order to boost their egos. Either way, Brienne refused to yield.

“Actually agent Lannister, I am looking forward to working with you.” She reached out her hand, an olive branch she hoped would branch out into a peaceful relationship. Lannister stood up and shook it. He was leaner than her and almost as tall. Fitting the both of them in the cramped basement office was going to be a challenge.

“Alright, do you believe in the existence of the Others and life from beyond the world of men?” Lannister asked, Brienne’s eyes shifting to a poster on the wall behind the desk. It was a photograph, clearly faked, that consisted of an Other riding a giant ice-spider with the words ‘the only war that matters’ written at the bottom. It looked like it belonged on the cover of a fantasy novel rather than the office wall of a federal agent.

“Scientifically, I would have to say no.” Brienne shook her head. Was Lannister still testing her or had he truly gone mad from hopping in and out of the mind of serial killers for so long? Brienne suspected that monitoring Lannister’s health and mental state would quickly become part of her job.

“Of course you would be a skeptic wench.” Brienne frowned at his use of the word. He walked over to the slide machine to set up a presentation he had made. Brienne wondered what kind of FBI agent makes slide presentations for their partners. She looked over as he fiddled with the machine. He had an armani suit but he wore it as though it came from a Flea Bottom thrift store. Clearly a trust fund brat. “Have you ever heard of a town called Maidenpool, Oregon?”

“I do Kingslayer, it’s the famous town where Florian the fool met his great love Jonquil. Or so they say in the songs.” Brienne wouldn’t admit it, but she had a soft spot for folktales. She noticed Lannister grimace at the use of his nickname. It was only fair, she hated being called wench.

“Didn’t peg you as a romantic, but yes, that is a good place to start. Maidenpool is, to this day a quaint little tourist destination. It’s a picturesque little town, and they say the local salmon is to die for, perfect with a sprig of lemon and a glass of white wine.”

“Sounds lovely, but I’m guessing you’re not planning a team building seminar.”

“You’re a fast learner wench,” Lannister flicked the projector and Brienne looked over at the image of the corpse of a teenage boy, then to another one with a picture of strange marks on the boy’s lower back and a chemical formula. “18-year-old Cleos Frey was found dead in the woods just outside of Maidenpool but a few days ago. The coroner’s report shows no obvious cause of death, just two unidentified wounds and this chemical compound in the body,” he pointed to the screen, “he is the fourth member of his high school class to die in this manner.”

“Exposure is likely, if not the cause of death than it was responsible for accelerating it. The wounds could be animal bites or puncture wounds. Perhaps illicit substances were involved. The chemical compound is not one I can identify off the top of my head, I’ll have to take a closer look at the reports in order to examine the thoroughness of the investigation.” Lannister looked as though he were about to laugh under his breath although more out of disbelief than malice. At least that’s what Brienne’s instincts told her, “Somehow kingslayer, I feel as though you have a theory about this case.”

“Theories,” Lannister turned off the slide machine and picked up a file, “I have plenty of theories. Wench, would you say that you are a morning person?”

“I suppose I do enjoy the beginning of the day.” Brienne raised an eyebrow, unsure where he was going with this.  
“Good. We’re going to Maidenpool tomorrow. Our flight leaves at 7:45am so hope to see you there all bright eyed and bushy tailed.” He handed her the casefile, it felt like an invitation.

………………..

The road to Maidenpool was full of trees, fresh air, and no good place to get a cappuccino. Brienne wished she could have gotten one when they landed in Duskendale. She would have to settle for the horrible drip coffee that came with police stations. Aside from some turbulence, it had been an uneventful flight from DC. 

Lannister was relaxed. He had slept for most of the flight and missed the turbulence. After a brief argument he had insisted on driving and had set the music to a terrible folk music station. Otherwise he was peaceful, singing along to ‘The Bear and the Maiden Fair.” Possibly her least favourite song.

“Don’t like my singing wench?” He wiggled an eyebrow. Most people shifted their gaze when they looked at her but Lannister always stared her right in the eye. 

“No, just the song. Bad memories.” She thought of her old prom date Ronnet Connington who had stood her up and told her that he would have rather kissed a bear than her. Even the pride that came with winning a bet was not enough to make her worth his, or any other boy’s time. Lannister did not need to know. She checked her face in the side mirror to make sure it still appeared stoic. As though the universe was listening to her, the song became static, then switching channels on it’s own before dying altogether. Lannister stopped the car.

“Guess it’s your lucky day.” He got out of the car. Rummaging through his bag, Lannister pulled out a can of spray paint and drew an X on the pavement in front of the car.

“What are you doing?” Brienne stuck her head out of the car window.

“X marks the spot,” Lannister shouted gleeful, like a small child opening a birthday gift.

“What spot kingslayer?”

“Interference, we’re just out of Maidenpool and someone, nay, something is watching us.” Brienne resisted the urge to roll her eyes as Lannister got back into the car. Next time, she was driving.

………………..

Maidenpool had not been kind to them. It didn’t help that the first thing Lannister did upon their arrival was piss off the county medical examiner. Dr. Peckleton had stormed out of his car to scream at them when Lannister was having Cleos Frey’s body exhumed for Brienne to re-examine. It was at that exact moment in the pouring rain that the bulldozer exhuming the body dropped the casket. The body rolled through the mud and down the hill and had Frey’s corpse actually been inside the casket they would likely have gotten sued by the town. The copse inside the casket did not belong to Cleos Frey, or any other human for that matter. Upon further examination, Brienne determined it to be the heavily decomposed corpse of an orangutan. 

Even Dr. Peckleton had no idea where the orangutan had come from or where Frey’s body had gone. The body was too decomposed to properly examine although a bizarre metal implant had been found in its nose. The purpose of the implant had yet to be identified, as had it’s materials of origin. Brienne hated to admit it, but Lannister was right about this case being abnormal. 

Frey’s mental state had been declared abnormal as well. Cleos Frey had been committed to a psychiatric facility not long before his death along with his still-living classmates Amerei Darry and Pia Butters. Lannister had insisted on them going in together, claiming that psychiatric facilities made him uncomfortable. Brienne felt it unwise to press the issue and agreed, wanting to see the teenagers for herself. Lannister walked quickly but Brienne had no difficulty keeping pace with him. He walked with a sure sense of direction, and Brienne could tell that he was stronger and more agile than he let on. Unlike many of the men at the bureau, she was unsure if she could take him in a fair fight but this was not something she was going to let him know. At least for now Lannister was her partner and at some point she ought to learn to trust him.

They walked up the stairs and flashed their badges at the attending nurse. She lead them to Pia Butters’s bedside. Apparently the girl had been comatose for quite some time.

Sitting beside her was her friend and classmate, Amerei Darry. Darry looked up at the agents from her wheelchair. Like Butters, medical reports showed her having the same marks on her back as Frey and the other victims. Also like Butters, the cause of her condition proved undiagnosable and was deemed psychosomatic. She was singing to her friend when they arrived.

“Good morning Ms. Darry, I’m agent Tarth and this is agent Lannister, we’re from the FBI,” She introduced herself to the girl, making sure to kneel so she wasn’t towering over her, “we would like to ask you a few questions, if this would be alright with you.”

“This is about Cleos isn’t it.”

“I’m afraid it is. Thus Far, as you know, there have been three deaths,” Brienne explained.

“They were my friends. And Cleos was my cousin. We had just graduated. All we wanted to do was have a party in the woods. And then...this.” Darry started sobbing. Brienne reached in her pocket to hand her a tissue. Meanwhile, Lannister pulled out the blankets from Ms. Butters’s bed to look at her feet. There was a thick layer of dirt at the bottom. He took a brush and caught some of it in a container. He slipped it in his pocket. Darry continued to sob. Her nose began to bleed and Brienne called a nurse who promptly asked them to leave. 

Brienne tugged on the bottom of her skirt as they walked towards the car. Like most skirts, it was shorter than she would have liked and she regretted wearing it. If nothing else, Lannister had yet to make a comment about her appearance or her attire. He was focused on the case. Picking up details, yet sharing none of them with her. Lannister was clever, and nowhere near as mad as the rumours made him out to be. If he was hiding his professional observations from her, there had to be a reason.

“All these kids, they were together when the incidents began happening. They all have the same markings on their lower backs. So far there have been three deaths. Amerei Darry is too terrified to think straight. Pia Butters has dirt on the bottom of her feet despite being in a coma for no less than several weeks. The way you looked at her, you certainly have a theory. I know you have a theory. Have you considered sharing it with your partner and fellow agent?” Brienne stood firm in front of the car. Vulnerable as she felt, she knew she must have looked as though she were an immovable object.

“Partner who was assigned to spy on me and debunk my work. I’m sure you want my theories wench, you want to write them into your little notes that you send up to Tarly.” Lannister leaned over the hood, his voice nearly a growl.

“If Section Chief Tarly has no love for you, than he has less for me. I did not become an FBI agent to please men like him, I became one to solve crimes and bring these families the justice that they so rightfully deserve.”

“Justice,” Lannister spat, “do you think there is any justice in this town?”

“I’d like to think that’s why we’re here,” Brienne pleaded, “it’s our job to figure out what happened to these kids. Someone or something has been harming them and we’re here to stop it. Have you no honour kingslayer? Why did you bring us here if you did not think we could protect them from further harm?”

“It always comes down to honour, doesn’t it wench? Don’t pretend to know anything about me or what I’ve been through. What could you possibly know?” Lannister looked about ready to punch through the car window. His hands shook with anger. Still, she did not move.

“I know plenty. All my life I’ve been looked down upon, as a doctor, as a federal agent, and as a woman. And all my life I’ve been knocking men like into the dust.”

There are no men like me, only me,” his grimace was sharp and he was staring daggers. Brienne had nothing left to say to him.

At the very least he handed her the keys and let her drive them back to the motel.

………………

They didn’t talk much for the rest of the day. Lannister had gone to talk with Sheriff Darry, Amerei Darry’s father no less, about the strange occurrences in and around town while Brienne worked on her report and went back to the morgue to look at the evidence. It was only after dark when Lannister had called her to come with him to the forest in order to investigate the site where Cleos Frey’s body was found. Lannister had picked her up in the rental car and neither of them spoke a word until they reached the forest.

The agents walked in silence, only the whistling of the wind and the crunching of leaves beneath their feet followed them to the site. The wind blew colder, and Brienne could swear there was frost on the trees. It chilled her to the bone but she soldiered on. Lannister had worn a thick coat. He was clearly prepared for the cold. There was something he was not telling her. 

Looking down, she noticed an unusual layer of ash on the ground. She gathered a sample to take with her to the lab. Underneath the ash however, the ground was frozen. There was no reason for the ground to be frozen at this time of the year.

“There appears to be a fair layer of ash here, but underneath the ground is completely frozen,” Brienne broke the ice between them by speaking first.

“Get a good sized sample of it, I would not be surprised if the ash on the ground matched the dirt on Pia Butters’s feet.” Lannister surveilled the woods around them. It did feel as though they were being watched.

“I’m beginning to suspect some form of cult activity. It is quite common for the followers of R'hllor to have their rituals not go as they intended,” she whispered, “I’m frozen, but you came dressed for the cold. Tell me kingslayer, what do you know?” Brienne looked up at her partner, alongside his gun he had with him a small dragonglass dagger.

“Remember when I asked you if you believed in the Others and life from beyond the world of men?” Lannister asked, there was a trace of vulnerability in his voice that Brienne had never heard before.”

“Yes, of course.”

“I do. I believe in many things. But I don’t believe we’re alone in these woods,” Lannister confessed. Brienne, while a lover of history and stories, had always been skeptical about magic and otherworldly creatures. She was a woman of science who believed in research and evidence. If there were otherworldly beings in the woods with them she would have to see them to believe in their existence. But more likely was a murderer or a pack of wolves, and she was thankful for her gun. She reached for it, hearing the footsteps that came towards her. Lannister did too. Brienne hoped that Lannister was half as good a shot as she was.

“What the hell are you doing in these woods?” Sheriff Darry stomped out of the bush. He pointed a rifle in their face.

“Investigating sheriff, this is the spot where your nephew, Cleos Frey’s, body was found. We want to know what happened, help your families find the justice and closure you deserve,” Brienne reasoned with the sheriff. He responded by holding his rifle up to her face.

“Do not talk about my family. And you were given no permission to investigate these woods. Now get out,” Darry threatened. Lannister grabbed his gun with the ferocity of a lion and threw it into the woods.

“We’re. Leaving.” He growled. They made their way back to the car.

It did not warm up as they walked out of the woods. It just got colder and colder. They drove in silence until they windows froze over completely and there was a flash of light. 

Moments later, the windows thawed and it began to rain. The temperature had risen back to what it had been earlier in the evening. Lannister stopped the car. It was at the spot where the radio had malfunctioned earlier in the day.

“X really does mark the spot wench,” Lannister got out of the car, “in that flash of light, we lost approximately nine minutes.” He started laughing.

“I’m sorry kingslayer, but time does not just disappear. It is not a commodity one can buy or sell or give or take,” argued Brienne.

“Not to us, but perhaps the world looks differently to beings older than the world we know.” Brienne had to laugh. She also insisted on driving back to the motel. 

…………………...

Hot showers were, without a doubt, one of humanity’s greatest inventions. Despite the fact that the motel shower had clearly been designed for people shorter than her, it was a relief to wash the forest grime off of her skin. Once clean, she put her bathrobe on and left her clothes from the evening over the shower curtain to dry. Unfortunately, her back itched. Two spots on her lower back not dissimilar to the marks found on the teenagers who had been killed. Despite being a medical doctor they were in a position where she was unable to examine them herself. Much to Brienne’s chagrain, she realised that she would have to ask someone else to look at the marks. 

Flashlight in hand, Brienne walked over to Lannister’s room and knocked on the door. 

“Evening wench,” he opened the door to let her in. His hair was wet and he still looked impossibly handsome in the dim light of the cheap motel.

“Thank you kingslayer. I’m sorry but I have a bit of an embarrassing favour to ask you.” Brienne closed the door behind.

“Whatever it is wench, either I’ve done worse or half the bureau thinks I have.” Lannister tried to lighten the mood, but it was clear to Brienne that this was a painful topic for him.

“I had a shower when I got back from the woods and I have marks on my lower back. I can’t see them very well so I was hoping you could take a look. I just want to be sure.” She handed him her flashlight.

“Alright, let’s have a look,” Brienne took off her bathrobe as Lannister shone the flashlight on her back. She probably had more freckles on her back than there were trees in the forest and it was humiliating to stand half naked in front of the partner she’d had for less than a week but she supposed it was better than ending up dead in the woods. “I think I know what your problem is.” He handed her back the flashlight.

“What do you mean?” 

“You aren’t wearing enough bug repellent. Forget two marks, you’ve got at least two dozen mosquito bites. Wench, it’s a miracle you haven’t died of blood loss by now,” Lannister lecture her as he rummaged through his bag. Eventually he pulled out a tube of anti-itch cream, “this should help. I’ll see what I can do for the ones on your back. Trust me, I was an eagle scout.”

“Thank you for this, you are full of surprises kingslayer.”

“Jaime, my name is Jaime.” There was a sadness and exhaustion in his voice.

“And mine’s Brienne.” She couldn’t see his face but somehow she knew he was smiling. A genuine smile, not the smirks he wore as armour at the bureau. The tension had lifted and the silence between them was more comfortable. “So, what drew you to the X-Files in the first place?” asked Brienne, appreciating the newfound peace between them.

“It’s a long story. The coffee here is dreadful, but perhaps I should make a pot of tea,” Lannister suggested, already rummaging around to find the kettle.

“Sounds wonderful Jaime.” Brienne made a point to use his name. She suspected it had been a while since anyone had seen beyond his reputation. She put her bathrobe back on and sat in a chair by the window. The blinds were shut, hiding the less than appealing view of the parking lot. 

“Milk or sugar?” he asked, stirring honey into his own cup.

“Neither, thanks.” She took her cup and Lannister sat down at the other end of the table, closer to the bathroom. He ran his fingers through his hair and took a deep breath.

“You might not believe it, but I had never heard about the X-Files until I was assigned to them.” Brienne raised an eyebrow at the revelation. Lannister sighed and looked down, pausing briefly before going on with his story, “I joined the bureau straight after I finished up at Oxford. My father wanted me to follow his footsteps at the State Department but I could care less about politics. So I joined the VCU after graduating Quantico and focused on being a profiler. I loved the work. Chasing after serial killers kept me on my feet and in the heat of the action.What I did not love my boss. 

Director Aerys Targaryen had once been a fine profiler himself but by the time I knew him he was drunk on power and expected everyone to treat him as a king. I’d have rather worked for a fire breathing dragon. He was cruel: to witnesses, to suspects, to victims and their families. He cared more about being right than about catching murderers and bringing about justice. I followed orders, best as I could, and tried to look the other way. I was friends with his son, Rheagar. Rheagar was the agent his father wished he could have been. They fought often, but then there was this one case we worked on. It was of a serial arsonist. We caught the killer but we couldn’t prove it. Aerys was livid. It was just by chance I was dropping by a file at Rheagar’s place when I saw Aerys sneaking about. It was late at night and Rheagar, his wife Elia, and their two kids were asleep. It didn’t take me long to realise that Aerys had planned to burn them alive and plant evidence in order to frame our arsonist. I tried to reason with him. It didn’t work. I shot him, but it was too late, he went up in flames with the rest of the family. I called the cops, explained everything. I thought I was going to prison for the rest of my life.” Jaime’s hands shook as they wrapped around the mug of tea. He took a sip and swallowed the drink along with his tears. 

“Goodness Jaime, I heard stories about you and Director Targaryen. But I had no idea about the horrors you experienced. I’m so sorry that you had to go through that.” She reached out and stroked him hand once he had set it back down on the table. It took a moment, but it eventually stopped shaking.

“Thank you Brienne, this is the first time I’ve really spoke of this at length to anyone other than my brother. My father was horrified by what had happened but refused to let the bureau make a complete scapegoat out of me. I got to keep my freedom and my job, well, to a certain extent. The higher ups in the VCU no longer trusted me, Targaryen may have been a tyrant but he was practically a king to them and I had committed treason in their eyes. I was reassigned to the basement in order to organise bizarre, forgotten, and unsolved cases. A glorified secretary or a madman kept in an attic. It was humiliating at first, but then I opened the files. Inside were the stories of families who had never gotten justice. And then there were the Others.”

“The Others?” Brienne took a sip of her tea. It had cooled to nearly tepid.

“Ice monsters from before the dawn of time. Mythical creatures designed to frighten children into obedience. But these were the monsters that took my mother away. I was twelve at the time, my father was driving my sister Cersei to a sleepover across town and I was playing in the woods with my brother Tyrion. It was getting late but we weren’t ready to go home quite yet. My mother came chasing after us, she called our names. But then the temperature dropped and frost formed on the leaves of the trees and we heard a scream. Tyrion and I tiptoed over to see what was going on, and there it was, the Other. It was tall and pale and made of ice. It had my mother. The Other looked at us with it’s terrible blue eyes, nowhere near as lovely and human as yours, it hissed like a cold wind, and we ran for our lives. The Other must have dragged her off as we never saw her again. My father was never the same after that, although Tyrion got the brunt of his cruelty. I never quite forgave myself for letting it happen.”

“Jaime, you were a child. What more could you have done?” Brienne could see the first rays of sunlight sneaking up from the horizon and through the blinds.

“I don’t know Brienne. But maybe by saving these kids I’ll find out.”

………………..

Their tea was cold by the time they finished drinking it but Brienne was not concerned. More important was the fact that they had broken the ice in their partnership. Special Agent Jaime Lannister was a mess yes, but his heart was in the right place or so he wanted it to be. The sun had come out by the time Brienne got back to her room. She had only just gotten dressed when she heard a knock at her door. It was Jaime and an anxious-looking teenage boy.

“Fancy some breakfast?” He waved at her but his face was grim. The boy rubbed his eyes, quickly losing his battle with the tears he was trying to hold back..

They talked in the car. By the time they got to the local diner Brienne had learned that the crying boy’s name was Josmyn Peckleton and that he was the medical examiner’s son. She had also learned that Amerei Darry had been killed last night while running across the highway. The same Amerei Darry who had been wheelchair-bound the previous day. She was the Sheriff’s daughter. Clearly Florian wasn’t the only fool from this town. Something strange was going on.

Josmyn Peckleton, or Peck as everyone called him recommended the blueberry pancakes as a local special so they each got an order. Brienne was half asleep and she knew that Jaime must have been too. The pancakes were a welcome treat and the three of them chewed in silence until Peck worked up the nerve to speak.

“I just can’t take it anymore. I’m losing all my friends.” Peck looked down despondently, rubbing his eyes with syrup covered fingers.

“I’m guessing you were friends with Amerei Darry, the girl who got hit by a car this morning.” Brienne handed him a couple napkins and asked the waiter for a glass of water.

“Friend, she was more like my sister. Our fathers work together and we’ve known each other our entire lives.”

“According to Ms. Darry, this all started while you were partying in the forest,” Jaime added.

“We had our graduation party there. But we weren’t doing anything terrible. A few beers, a bottle of vodka, loud music, but nothing more than that. Then, all of a sudden the wind grew cold and frost began to form on the trees. There was a rustling, and then it all went blank. I woke up somewhere else and I don’t know how I got there. Then my friends started dying, I keep waking up in the woods, no idea how I got there. My dad always drags me out. I know he’s angry but he never says anything. I didn’t know what to do but I knew I had to tell someone,” Peck confessed. 

“Thank you Peck, you’ve helped us more than you know. Agent Lannister and I are and will continue to do everything we can to help you and your friends find safety, justice, and closure,” Brienne promised. Jaime wiped the syrup from Peck’s face and paid for their breakfasts. In spite of everything, Jaime really did want to help these kids.

……………….

Brienne’s day was turning out to be just as bizarre as the previous one. She had autopsied Darry’s body only to find that the dirt on her feet was a match not only to the ash in the woods but to the dirt on Pia Butters’s feet despite the latter being in a coma. Brienne finished the autopsy, finding another metal implant in Darry’s nose as she had found in Cleos Frey’s corpse. She had planned to send some samples off to the lab, only to find out it had been torched. Mistrusting Dr. Pecklton, she slid the implant from Darry’s nose into a plastic vial, and then into her pocket.

Naturally, she called her partner to tell him what was going on. Jaime’s day was going just as strangely as hers. All the bodies of the victims had been looted, likely to prevent further investigation and Sheriff Darry had been furious with him for asking questions. After that, he had gone back to the motel only to find it burning to the ground in front of him. So much for Brienne’s computer and any valuables they had left in their rooms. Jaime was coming to pick her up and they had all agreed that there was only one place to go: the woods.

Even along the highway the temperature began to drop. The car radio jumped from station to station even after Brienne turned the volume off completely. Jaime was silent, gripping the wheel for dear life and driving at least 20 miles over the speed limit. He drove and drove and eventually parked on the shoulder of the highway right next to the X he had spray painted on the road. They walked from there.

It was silent in the woods. There were no sounds of animals this time. Even the mosquitoes were gone, likely frozen as they were. Brienne could see her breath as they walked further into the forest. There was a light ahead, a cruel white light. And then there was a scream. A boy’s scream. It was Peck.

Jaime and Brienne snuck up behind a bush and looked into the light. Pale glowing figures stood between the trees. Peck was there, he was being carried by Pia Butters into the light. Neither agent dared speak. They dared not move until they had a gun to their heads. 

“I told you to get out of the woods!” Sherif Darry growled at them. Jaime simply pointed towards the light. Darry looked up horror and dropped his gun. The Others looked up and there was a flash of light. The light was gone and the others were gone. Peck and Pia were both awake.

Brienne looked down at her watch. Nine minutes had passed.

…………………….

They wrapped up the case us much as a case like this could be wrapped up. Sheriff Darry had sent them out of town at gunpoint and they drove back to Duskendale. Brienne had phoned Section Chief Tarly to update him on the case. He was exactly as pleased with her as she expected him to be, but he ensured they be on the first flight back to DC and gave her extra time to write her report since her laptop had been destroyed in the motel fire. 

It was warm when they boarded the plane, much warmer than it had been in Maidenpool. Jaime had bags under his eyes and she likely did too, not that she had the courage to look in the mirror at the moment. All Brienne wanted was a good night’s sleep.

The plane took off, and there was no turbulence. Everything looked small from the air until they were above the clouds and clouds were all they saw. Her first case as a field agent was complete.

“Thank you Brienne.” Jaime turned to her about an hour into the flight.

“For what?” Brienne raised an eyebrow. 

“For listening to me, for working with me, for looking past my reputation.” She could tell he was being sincere, Jaime looked far too tired for anything else.

“In that case, I suppose I should be thanking you Jaime, you’re the first agent I’ve worked with to take me seriously.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he shook his head, “I’m starting to think that the I in FBI stands for idiots.” Jaime smiled and Brienne couldn’t help but laugh.

“Fools, Boors, and Idiots, at least that’s what my thesis supervisor Dr. Stark said.” Brienne remembered the wise words of her mentor.

“Well, next time you see Dr. Stark, tell her she’s smarter than all of us.” Jaime looked out the window to watch the clouds. They still had a way to go before they reached DC.

“Are all the X-Files like this one?” Brienne asked.

“Some, but not all. There are many reasons a case remains unsolved. The basement is practically flooded with cases no one else wanted,” Jaime explained. 

“Agents no one wants to work with solving cases no one wants to solve. It’s almost poetic.” Brienne shook her head, Jaime looked up at her and smiled

“Poetic it is. And we have a lot of work ahead of us.” He reached a hand out and she shook it. They were officially partners now.


	2. Old Bear

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone who read chapter one!!! I got a lot of comments so I decided to expand this into a 12-part series. Unfortunately I am a slow writer so updates are not fast and I apologize for this one taking forever. Basically this is this fic's equivalent of the episode 'Deep Throat' so enjoy. This chapter is from Jaime's point of view and I think I'll flip back and forth over the course of the series. I own neither ASOIAF, nor the X-Files. All and any feedback is more than welcome <3

Washington D.C. was a den of debauchery. An endless rat race that practically exhaled putrid deceit. Jaime took a sip of his ginger ale, on the rocks of course, as he leaned against the back of the booth he was sitting in. It wasn’t difficult to disappear into the crowd. The bar was filled with smoke and lobbyists. Everyone wanted something: money, power, sex, and influence. Every breed of fast moving scumbag lurked here, in their natural habitat. 

Jaime was very familiar with these types of bar. They were the kind of place he always used to meet Cersei. They would pretend to be strangers, flirt, then sneak out the back before someone from their father’s wide network of connections saw them together. Cersei had barely talked to him since he shot Director Targaryen.

“Was it truly necessary to meet in a place like this?” Brienne frowned. She stick out like a sore thumb in the dump of a bar. Neither her height nor her integrity did her any favors here.

“It helps.” Jaime took a sip of his ginger ale. Brienne sat down, tugging the sleeves of her ill-fitting burgundy suit. “Fancy a drink?”

“Jaime, it’s 2:30 in the afternoon.” She looked down at his glass.

“That’s not stopping any of these people. I quite recommend the ginger ale.” He waved the waitress over and she ordered a mint tea.

“Please tell me this is about a case.” Brienne dunked the tea bag into her mug as she stirred in a spoonful of honey.

“Of course Brienne, I don’t want to socialise with these vermin any more than you do,” he pulled a file out of his briefcase for her to read. “Eastwatch air base, near the town of Bellringer Idaho. Since 1963, six test pilots stationed there have gone missing. The most recent, one Colonel Walter Whent has a very concerned wife. Four months ago, the man was delirious and covered in burns. Military police dragged him away and Shella, his wife has not heard anything since.”

“So you’re saying that colonel Whent was abducted by his employer?” Brienne raised an eyebrow.

“Shella Whent seems convinced of it. And I would like to find out. There’s something bizarre about this case Brienne, something not quite normal. Maybe even paranormal?” 

“Military cover ups are as american as apple pie Jaime,” Brienne frowned, “if there’s justice to be had we’ll need evidence.”

“That’s why they put the I in FBI. I got us tickets, we leave on Wednesday morning,” Jaime explained. Brienne took the ticket, paid for her tea and left. Jaime could tell that she was eager to leave the bar.

After paying for his own drink, Jaime went to the bathroom on his way out. Not even the dismal lighting could hide the layers of filth on the walls and floor. Brienne avoided these types of places and once again proved herself smarter than him.

The sink was clean. Jaime wondered if he was the first person to wash his hands upon exiting in at least a week. The soap dispenser was jammed and they were out of paper towel. He looked down to wipe his hands on his pants.

“Don’t go to Eastwatch,” suggested a voice from behind him. Jaime jumped and turned around, the man behind him frowned. He was taller than Jaime and had broader shoulders, a raven perched on one of them. Both were watching him.

“Sink’s free if you want it.” Jaime took a step towards the door as though he were backing away from a bear.

“The military doesn’t appreciate being investigated. I’d stay out of this one agent Lannister,” he warned, walking past Jaime and out of the restroom. Jaime tried to follow him but the man disappeared into the crowd of the bar.

……………………

“Jaime, did you know that Bellringer is a hotspot for conspiracy theorists and doomsday preppers?” Brienne raised an eyebrow as the drove towards the Whent residence.

“Sounds like a great place to make friends.” Jaime smirked. He checked his mirrors to see if they were being followed. He’d noticed a few more black vans around his neighbourhood and made a point to be more vigilant than usual around people.

“Sounds like a waste of government resources,” Brienne argued.

“Brienne, if I wished to waste government resources I’d have booked us a nicer hotel. Preferably somewhere with a view of the ocean,” Jaime looked out at the potato fields surrounding them, “if you would wish to be reassigned to another department I would put in a good word for you.” Brienne smiled briefly, biting her tongue to avoid laughing.

“Alright Jaime, if we go home with bed bugs I will most certainly consider reassignment,” she quipped. 

The rest of the drive was quite aside from the songs on the radio and the planes overhead. The closer they got to Bellringer, the more aircraft Jaime noticed. Jaime Lannister was no expert on fighter planes. The only experience he had came from his brother-in-law who used to fly them. Robert Baratheon was not a man known for being insightful, but part of Jaime was curious what he would have to say about the planes overhead.

……………………...

Shella Whent’s hands shook when she opened the door. Looking in, Jaime could see the children watching TV oblivious to the world around them.

“You must be agents Tarth and Lannister. Please, come in.” Whent gestured them in. She smiled but was clearly exhausted. “Sorry for the mess, it’s been chaos since the military dragged Walter off. I haven’t been able to get a straight answer out of anyone.”

“We’re going to do everything in our power to help you Mrs. Whent,” Brienne promised, “if there’s anything you can tell us that’s not in the file we would be glad to hear it.”

“All I can say is that he just sort of lost it. Walter was a good man when I married him, and everything was fine until we came here. But the more time he spent at Eastwatch, the more he changed. He would snap and yell at me, even yell at the kids! Walter had never been paranoid before, it frightened me. His behavior just got worse from there and he got this terrible rash, it almost looked like burn marks. But I can’t imagine what from. Then one day he stole a jeep and locked himself in the bathroom until the military dragged him out of there.” Whent began to sob, Jaime handed her a box of tissues from across the table.

“Did your husband ever talk about his job? You said that he was paranoid, did he ever tell you what he was paranoid about?” Jaime asked.

“No, not really. I tried to get him to open up, I really did. He was just...scared. He felt like he was being watched. He wouldn’t tell me by who.”

“Do you have any suspicions about what he was afraid of? Do you know of anyone else who had gone through something similar?” Jaime watched the kids out of the corner of his eye. They were still watching television, likely trying to block out the world around them. Not unlike he and his siblings had done after they had lost their mother.

“No, and the military won’t tell us anything. The Haighs went through the same thing. Alyn’s husband Harrys went crazy, then he went missing. He came back but he was never the same,” Whent explained.

“Is there any chance my partner and I could talk to them?” Brienne inquired.  
“Of course, they’re down the street. I’ll take you there.” Whent got up, not saying goodbye to her children as when left.

……………….

Shella Whent wasn’t lying about the Haighs. Alyn was polite but cold, offering to make them tea. Harrys meanwhile was off in the living room. He was pulling hair from his head and weaving them together as fish bait, unaware of the world around him. Brienne excused herself to examine him as Jaime spoke with Mrs. Haigh.

“Milk or sugar?” Haigh offered.

“Honey if you have, otherwise sugar is fine.” Mrs. Haigh slid the sugar towards him as Whent stirred some milk into her own. Jaime took a spoonful of sugar. Were Tyrion there he would have taken at least three.

“So Mrs. Haigh, Mrs. Whent has informed me that your husband experienced similar symptoms to her own. Would you mind telling us what happened with him? You are not under investigation in any way, my partner and I just want to understand.”

“Trust Shella to call in the FBI,” Mrs. Haigh laughed bitterly and clearly unimpressed by Jaime’s presence, “but if you must know, I’ll tell you the facts. It started about two years ago. Harrys had always been high strung, but that’s when the stress got to him. More and more he became paranoid. He kept the lights on at night and jumped at every noise. He became cold, always clammy in a cold sweat. Eventually he couldn’t function any more,” Haigh explained.

“Thank you Mrs. Haigh. If you don’t mind sharing, what kind of medical care has he received since then?”

“Of course agent Lannister, the Air Force has taken excellent care of him. They have stressful jobs, our troops, with test pilots having one of the hardest. The stress got to him, as it would get to most of us. Harrys’s health is being monitored and we are the better for it.” Haigh’s eyes were narrowed and her shoulders stiff, she didn’t want them.

“We appreciate you taking the time to talk to us. Agent Tarth and I will be on our way,” Jaime excused them as Brienne finished taking notes on Harrys Haigh’s condition. He waved goodbye to the ladies continued their conversation.

“Something’s done quite a number on Mr. Haigh,” Brienne explained.

“How so Brienne?”

“His body temperature is low, and he does appear to sweat a lot. His cognitive abilities have certainly diminished from when he was in active service. My best guess would be stereotypy. It’s possible that Haigh and Whent are washouts from the Icemark project,” Brienne suggested as she unlocked the car.

“No, these pilots are too good for that. My brother-in-law was a pilot. If you want to see a washout I’ll send you his address. Whent and Haigh, they’re not like that at all.” Jaime shook his head. He could never understood what Cersei saw in Robert Baratheon other than his family’s wealth. 

“That sounds awfully personal Jaime. Are you sure you didn’t take this case just to get back at your family? Is this about your brother-in-law, or perhaps your sister?” Brienne raised an eyebrow.

“Cersei wasn’t the one who called me and asked for help.” Jaime looked up at his partner, there was a look of concern in her eyes, perhaps even betrayal. Brienne’s blue eyes held a sort of innocence. Cersei’s were the same green as his own. 

“If I didn’t know better, it almost sounds like you wish she would.” Brienne turned the key in the ignition as she backed the car out onto the road.

“Not for help, but I do wish she would call. I miss her. She’s family.” Jaime stared out the window, looking longingly at the rows of identical houses. He left out the part where he had fathered all three of Cersei’s children.

…………….

Colonel Cox had agreed to meet with them. At least over the phone and at least in theory. Cox had initially arranged for an appointment at his office but when that fell through he refused to answer their calls. Brienne knocked away at his front door. She wasn’t swearing or ranting, but made a point to be seen as Cox yelled out the window, telling them to leave. They didn’t. Brienne refused to budge from his doorstep. 

Jaime couldn’t stop himself from smiling at his partner. Brienne was both very powerful and very stubborn. Honorable too. Too damn principled to abandon him to his fate in the basement of the Hoover building. Cersei would hate her. So would his father. Those facts alone would be enough for Tyrion to love her. One day they would have to meet.

“He’s not going to come out,” a man announced. He was leaning against his car wearing a sleazy suit and adjusting his equally sleazy glasses, “he thinks you’re more of the doomsday preppers we keep seeing around these parts.” He walked up to greet them.

“Actually, we’re FBI. I’m special agent Jaime Lannister, and this is my partner special agent Brienne Tarth.” Jaime shook the man’s hand, it was limp and sweaty. 

“Good to meet you agents, my name’s Dick Crabb but everyone calls me Nimble Dick. I work for the local paper.” Crabb introduced himself as he shook Brienne’s hand. Jaime almost felt sorry for the man’s unfortunate name. Almost.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you sir, however if you’re looking for details on our current investigation we have none to spare that aren’t already known to the public. If Colonel Cox were willing to speak with you perhaps it would be enlightening.” Brienne’s face was a mask of professionalism. Jaime’s did not.

“I’m sorry to hear that agent Tarth. Cox isn’t exactly the chatty sort, not a big fan of the news. He probably doesn’t even do the crosswords.”

“You have valuable local insight Mr. Nimble Dick. You mentioned something about doomsday preppers earlier. What exactly did you mean?”

“Ugh, don’t get me started agent Lannister. They show up with their tents and their RVs, always lurking in the night telling stories about glowing eyes and cold spots in the woods. They claim the world is ending and the Others will come back to this world and cause some sort of eternal winter.” Nimble Dick rolled his eyes.

“That’s good to know. Say, if I wanted to talk with some of these doomsday preppers, where would I want to go?”

“There’s only one place in town to go for that, the Crossroads diner. People there are not exactly known for their sanity, but I do recommend the honey cakes.”

…………….

“I can’t believe we’re taking restaurant advice from a man who refers to himself as ‘Nimble Dick’,” Brienne griped, looking around at the diner. The floor was made of the traditional poorly grouted black and white tiles and the walls were plastered with pictures of aircraft, Others, and dragons. Also plastered was the majority of the clientele. Likely the owners of the RVs in the parking lot. On their way in, Jaime and Brienne passed by two teenage girls sat against the door in the parking lot. They were laughing and clearly stoned out of their skulls.

“Welcome to the Crossroads diner,” greeted an elderly lady who was cleaning the bar. She smiled. Her teeth were stained red from sourleaf.

“Good afternoon ma'am. We were wondering if we could speak with the owner of this establishment,” Brienne explained. She was displeased with the decor while still managing to be professional. Cersei would have attempted no such professionalism nor politeness.

“Masha Heddle, that’s me,” she introduced herself and shook the agents’ hands. Jaime immediately liked her far more than Nimble Dick.

“It appears you’ve to quite the photography collection,” Brienne remarked, concealing the judgement from her voice.

“You bet! It’s a big draw for the customers. I took most of the ones on the left wall myself.” Masha pointed at the wall. Most of the pictures were of aircraft, though there were a few glowing eyes in the woods and supposed Others.

“This one. It looks quite real,” Jaime pointed to a picture of the forest at night with glowing blue figures from a distance and unusual lights in the sky, “would go nicely in the office. Are any of these for sale?”

“Oh, my niece Willow took that one. Her and her sister Jeyne are always sneaking into Eastwatch. It’s $5.00 if you want it.”

“Deal.” Jaime agreed, handing Masha a five-dollar-bill. She stuffed it in her apron and went to get the picture down from the wall. Brienne rolled her eyes.

“Sucker,” she whispered into his ear before leaving to wait in the car.

“I’m guessing the missus isn’t a prepper.” 

“No, we’re actually coworkers. We investigate unexplained phenomena for the FBI.”

“Let me guess, you’re trying to get into Eastwatch and the military doesn’t want you to.” Masha winked, Jaime definitely liked her more than Nimble Dick.

“You sound like an expert on the place,” Jaime flipped over the photograph, “if there’s a way in-”

“No problem,” Masha interrupted him. She drew a map on the back, “just don’t forget to come back for a meal before you skip town.” Jaime waved goodbye to her as he examined the map. Apparently there was a hole in the fence several miles down the highway and a few trails to go on foot once they were past it. He walked out into the parking lot. Brienne was sitting in the passenger’s seat of the car reading a map.

“You really did buy that photograph?” She raised an eyebrow, giving it a second look.

“That’s not all I got,” Jaime flipped it over, revealing the map Masha had drawn him and leaned over towards Brienne, “sucker,” he whispered in her ear.

………………….

They waited until dusk before sneaking into the base. Jaime drove them down the highway, past the sign warning them they were trespassing on military property until they found their hole in the fence. Jaime looked at the map, they were to travel through the grass until they walked up to the top of a hill. He got out of the car and snuck through the fence.

Brienne followed him. Earlier she had voiced her discontent with trespassing and chasing after fairy tales but nonetheless, she followed him through the grass. She was steady, loyal, and without complaint. If she had any thoughts or feelings about this trek she kept them to herself under her famous mask of professionalism. It almost felt like a suit of armor. Brienne was both a good partner and a good person. She was far less jaded about the world than he was, no matter how cruel it may have been to her. Perhaps she was born in the wrong era. Jaime imagined his partner as a knight in shining armour, fighting for a just and honourable causes. Brienne was certainly strong and noble enough for it. Jaime didn’t quite know what was waiting for them as they waded through the long grass towards the top of the hill, only that for once, he did not feel alone. Something about Brienne made him feel safe, as though there was still goodness in him and that it was worth fighting for.

If nothing else, the stars were out. The long grass rustled in the warm night wind. Jaime took the blanket he was carrying with him, lay it on the ground sat down. He gestured to Brienne and she joined him.

“I brought a thermos of coffee,” Brienne unscrewed the cap and took a sip, “I suspect we’re going to have a long night.

“That’ll go wonderfully with the honey cakes I bought from the Crossroads.” Jaime unwrapped the box Masha Heddle had sold to him. The cakes were somewhat squashed but Jaime was pleasantly surprised at how well they still tasted.

For the next hour they shared honey cakes and coffee. While there was no activity from the military base, Brienne did teach him all the constellations in the sky. Apparently she had traveled a lot growing up due to her father being in the Navy. At some point her father, Selwyn Tarth, had bought her a book about the constellations so that wherever they went Brienne would be able to look up and see something she knew. In fact, that was what inspired her to do her first degree in physics. Once on a topic she was interested, Brienne could talk for hours. Jaime suspected that very few people in the FBI were willing to let her talk. Their loss.

“Do you see that?” Brienne turned around, pointing up at the night sky. 

Two glowing lights appeared in the sky as if out of nowhere. Jaime had seen his share of aircraft flying in the night but these ships danced through the sky like nothing he had ever seen. They went up and down and back and forth and physics be damned, these were not normal planes. Even Brienne was silent, staring up at the lights, studying them.

It was a glorious moment. Jaime didn’t know how long the light show lasted but soon enough helicopters came their way. He grabbed Brienne’s hand and ran back towards the car as fast as he could. She gestured towards a hole in the hill behind a tree and they ran in. Looking to their left, Jaime could see two teenagers hiding beside them, trying not to giggle. He recognised them as Jeyne and Willow, the Heddle girls. They still stank of weed. The four of them sat in silence until they were sure the helicopters were gone. Brienne drove them all back to the dinner. Jeyne whispered something about the military designing aircrafts that could outmaneuver dragons. According to Brienne that was impossible, everybody knew that dragons had been extinct for well over a hundred years.

…………………...

Brienne dropped the Heddles off at the Crossroads diner on the way back to the motel. They rode in silence and Brienne checked her mirrors methodically to ensure that no one was following them. 

By the time Jaime reached his motel room it was 3:00am and he couldn’t sleep. He took a shower, changed into sweatpants, and turned on the television. There was nothing worth watching at that hour, nearly every station was paid programming. Jaime never understood why infomercials existed. What kind of person bought an Illyrio Mopatis cheese saver before sunrise on a Wednesday morning? Perhaps that ought to be classified as an X-File. He wondered what Brienne would think. Jaime almost hoped his partner would walk in the door so that they could laugh at infomercials together. The only person he’d ever done that with before was Tyrion.

Flicking through the tv stations, Jaime eventually settled for a cheezy animated version of ‘The Dance of the Dragons’. The movie was made in the seventies and it showed. Everyone wore miniskirts. Jaime’s mind wandered to the idea of dragons. Dragons were as magical as the Others. Ancient beasts of legend which may or may not have been real. If both the dragons and the Others were returning, that meant that magic, in its various forms, was returning to the world. Someone within the military knew something. Jaime knew he had to go in and get a closer look. He had to sneak back into the base.

………….

Before they snuck in anywhere, the agents had unfinished business with the Whents. Shella had called them at eight in the morning, claiming that her husband had been returned but that he was not himself. They had stopped by the Crossroads diner for breakfast, Masha herself eagerly waiting on them. Jaime couldn’t help but yawn into his eggs.

“Didn’t sleep?” Brienne asked as Masha poured him another cup of coffee.

“Not well, sorry. Ended up watching that horrid animated version of “The Dance of the Dragons” at four in the morning. Say Masha, with all the photographs of Others and spacecraft, have you ever heard any stories of dragons coming from Eastwatch?” Jaime gave Masha his best smile. Brienne sighed and shook her head.

“There’s a lot of stories about that base agent Lannister, but I’ve never heard of anyone seeing a dragon. That doesn’t mean nobody’s chasing them. If the Others are coming back, that could mean a lot of things,” Masha explained before moving on to the next table.

“So what do you think Walter Whent knows?” 

“I will go ask him after breakfast Jaime. You are going back to the motel to take a nap,” Brienne suggested, the way a mother suggested to a child it was time to go home from the park.

“I can nap later, I’m coming with you. I’m a psychologist after all.”

“And I’m a medical doctor. I can handle this, and being a medical doctor, I know that you need a break. You’re too close to this case, you can’t be objective right now.” Brienne sounded every inch the medical doctor in that moment. Jaime didn’t want to admit it, but deep down he knew she was right.

“Too close? I opened this file. Other than conversing with Shella Whent and filling out the preliminary paperwork, how am I any closer to this file than you Brienne?” He wasn’t ready to give in, this case still needed to be investigated. And dammit, Jaime wanted answers whether they followed protocol or not.

“Your family Jaime, you keep bringing up your brother-in-law. And your sister. And dragons, you worked for Director Targaryen of all people. At least one of these things is motivating you and it’s not the desire to help the Whent family get justice.”

“Do you really think anyone here is going to get justice?” Jaime exclaimed, the diner patrons sitting near them looked alarmed.

“Whatever happens here, we need to follow the rules. I might not be a profiler but I am an FBI agent. And we can’t control the military or their actions, but we need to be above reproach if we wish to get anything out of them.” Brienne sat up straight and crossed her arms. She was still right about the case. Jaime was still not ready to admit it.

“Alright then, go. Be a knight in shining armour and see how far that gets you.” He felt bad saying it, seeing the hurt in her eyes.

“I’m going to do my bloody job. The one the government pays me to do. I can drive you back to the motel if you would like.” Brienne’s face became a brick wall. Courtesy was a lady’s armour and she was wearing a full suit of it.

“It’s alright Dr. Tarth. I can walk. I need the fresh air.” Jaime slumped in the booth like a toddler as Brienne walked out of the diner. At least she covered bill. He knew he needed to take a break. This wasn’t about his pathetic boor of a brother-in-law that was Robert Baratheon. This wasn’t about Cersei, his twin and other half who now thought him unworthy to be her perfect mirror. This wasn’t about the Others or dragons or Aerys Targaryen. Jaime Lannister wanted the truth and he was going to find it himself.

With Brienne gone, he was free to sneak into Eastwatch. It was probably better that she didn’t know, as she would never have gone along with it. Out of the corner of his eye, Jaime could see Jeyne and Willow laughing over milkshakes at the other end of the diner. He knew exactly what he was going to do.

………………..

Jeyne Heddle was 17 and had just gotten her driver’s license. It showed. Sleep deprived or not, Jaime felt every bump in the country road. Either that or Brienne was an exceptional driver and he had been spoiled. Still, he thanked the girls as they dropped him off near the hole in the fence he and Brienne had snuck through last night.

The grass was still wet from the morning dew and there was a chill to the wind. It made waves in the grass as though it were the ocean. It was no wonder the Dothraki from those nature documentaries referred to grasslands as a great grass sea. Tyrion was the well traveled brother, not him in spite of his time at Oxford. Jaime missed his brother and made a point to call him when he got back to D.C.

After wading through the tall grass, Jaime finally reached Eastwatch. He snuck into the base through yet another hole in the fence. Jaime found it funny how in spite of their enormous budgets and tight security, the fencing was so poor that anyone could have snuck in. He would have to ask Jeyne and Willow how far they had snuck into the base before he got there. Jaime kept walking until he came up to a road. Or at least what he thought was a road until he realised it was a runway for aircraft.

Jaime looked up. He saw a craft. He saw a blinding light. And then he saw nothing.

………………

By the time he opened his eyes again he was strapped to a gurney being pushed down a hallway. His head hurt, but he managed to turn it slightly from side to side. There were no shortage of people in the hallway. Most of them were armed and wearing military fatigues. The good news was that he had made it into Eastwatch. The bad news was that he was being dragged out somewhere and had no control over the situation. Brienne was right. Jaime made a note to get her a desk when they got back to D.C. At least if he ever made it out of the air force base.

“Get moving.” A grim faced soldier shoved a gun in his face as one of his colleagues unstrapped the gurney so Jaime could get up. His legs felt weak and his head somewhat light. The soldiers walked him down the hall before shoving him into the back of a jeep. 

“Safety first kids.” Jaime smiled nervously as he buckled his seatbelt. His captors frowned, clearly they were not amused. A lifetime of family dinners with his father had prepared him for dealing with dour authority figures. Grand patriarch Tywin Lannister made the soldiers look like camp councillors by comparison.

Once everyone was in the jeep, they drove through the base. The car was dead silent. Not a whisper, not even the radio was playing. Jaime considered whistling to lighten to mood but decided not to push his luck. 

They rumbled on for fifteen or so minutes until they got to the gate. The soldier beside him dragged him out by his collar. He heard yelling. Brienne. He looked up as soon as he got out of the car. There was his partner holding Nimble Dick at gunpoint trying to negotiate Jaime’s release. Her denim shirt looked disheveled and strands of straw-coloured hair escaped her ponytail but her eyes were all business.

Thankfully for both of them, the military accepted Brienne’s terms of returning Nimble Dick to them in exchange for his life. Apparently, he had been an undercover security operative for Eastwatch. Not looking so nimble anymore, Dick Crabb yelled about how they were breaking the law and that anything they had seen belonged to the United States military. Brienne gave him one last shove. Jaime hobbled into the car and closed the door. Brienne drove off towards the motel. Brienne bit her lip and clutched the wheel as though her life depended on it. She said nothing, staring off in the horizon as she drove.

“My knight in sweaty denim.” Jaime slumped in his seat. He started laughing. Brienne did not.

“Shut up Jaime,” she barked. Not speaking again for the rest of the trip.

……………….

They left Bellringer the next morning. According to Brienne, Walter Whent was physically fine but seemed to be missing information related to his job as a pilot. They had planned to talk to the Whents in the afternoon but Shella called them to say that everything was fine and that they were no longer needed. The military had gotten to her somehow. With no further evidence, Brienne finished her report and they flew back to D.C. 

Section chief Tarly chewed them out but that was to be expected. Jaime cleaned the office and bought Brienne lunch as an apology. By the end of the week they had settled back into their usual routine. Neither agent fit particularly well in the basement office, but they fit well into each other’s lives.

It was a sunny Sunday morning. Brienne had gone with her thesis supervisor turned friend Catelyn Stark and her family to the temple of the seven. Jaime had gone for a jog. Along with fencing, he had always enjoyed running as a sport. He took his usual route down several blocks and through a local park.

“Corn, corn, corn,” demanded a familiar, yet inhuman voice. It was a raven. More specifically, the raven of the man from the bar. The one who had told him not to take the Bellringer case. 

“Who are you?” Jaime looked up at the man, currently sitting on a park bench feeding the birds.

“You can call me Old Bear if you like,” he held out a handful of corn for his raven to peck at, “what you might not like is that you and your partner’s lives are in danger. You’ve seen things you were never meant to see.” He threw more corn on the ground for the rest of the birds. 

“No one I know in the FBI is willing to help me. Why are you?” Jaime sat down, slightly unsettled by the raven hopping around.

“You’re not the only one who wants the truth.” Old Bear stood up, the raven perching on his shoulder.

“Wait,” Jaime jumped back up, “I’ve seen others and heard rumors of dragons. Is magic coming back to our world?”

“Agent Lannister,” Old Bear laughed and shook his head as he walked away, “what made you think it ever left?”


End file.
